St. Paul, Minnesota (CNN) - Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton said he thinks he and legislators are out of "good" options in the battle to bring Minnesota's government out of a shutdown that's been in place since Friday morning, though he remains "committed."

Dayton, a Democrat, and the leaders of the Republican-controlled legislature, Sen. Amy Koch and Rep. Kurt Zellers, met for just over an hour Tuesday - the first time the three had met since their eleventh-hour attempts to avoid a shutdown Thursday night.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) - A budget stalemate forced a virtual full shut down of the Minnesota government on Friday and left only a limited array of state services in operation over the busy holiday weekend.

Visitors won't be able to go to the state parks or the zoo, and travelers will find the highway rest stops shuttered. Road construction projects will cease, as will licensing for teachers and businesses.

(CNN)-Democratic House Majority PAC will take a crack at GOP Minnesota Rep. Chip Cravaack Friday with the release of a new ad criticizing the congressman for endorsing a Republican House proposal to dramatically alter Medicare.

The independent expenditure group's main beef with Cravaack is his support of House Budget Chair Paul Ryan's proposal that would require changes to Medicare as a method of battling the budget deficit.FULL POST

Washington (CNN) - Outgoing Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said this week that he regrets not seeking a third term in St. Paul, now that the state legislature is controlled by Republicans instead of the Democrat-Farmer-Labor party that fought much of his agenda.

"Yes," was the straightforward answer Pawlenty gave when asked by the Duluth News Tribune editorial board earlier this week whether he wished he had sought another term.FULL POST

(CNN) – Republican Tom Emmer conceded defeat in the Minnesota governor's race Wednesday to former Democratic Sen. Mark Dayton, bringing to a close the last yet-to-be decided gubernatorial race in the 2010 election.

"Minnesotans have made their choice, by however thin a margin, and we respect that choice," Emmer said in a press conference Wednesday.FULL POST

(CNN) - Democrat Mark Dayton has won his bid to become Minnesota's next governor, defeating Republican state legislator Tom Emmer after a recount, according to updated vote results released Friday by the Minnesota Secretary of State.

Dayton, a former U.S. Senator, lead Emmer by more than 8,715 votes with 99.99 percent of all ballots recounted.

An additional 765 ballots remain challenged by the Emmer campaign, too few to affect the final outcome.

(CNN) - A report released Friday by Minnesota's secretary of state revealed that Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer "frivolously" challenged more than 80 times the number of ballots than his Democratic opponent, Mark Dayton.

According to the latest ballot counts, Dayton is leading Emmer by more than 10,000 votes. He held an 8,752-vote lead after the November 2 elections.

The report indicates that local officials deemed 35 of Dayton's ballot challenges "frivolous," which prevents them from being sent to the state canvassing board for further review. By comparison, 2,845 of Emmer's challenges were overruled.FULL POST

(CNN) - Minnesota’s gubernatorial recount is nearly complete and although the vote totals won’t be certified for at least another week, Democrat Mark Dayton is emerging as the near-certain victor.

With over 93 percent of the ballots re-counted, Dayton has lost 17 votes from his November 2 total, while Republican Tom Emmer has gained 53. Dayton led Emmer by nearly 9,000 votes after Election Day.FULL POST

(CNN) - Only about 15 percent of the gubernatorial ballots remain uncounted in Minnesota and as the final five counties complete their re-counts, the November 2 winner appears headed for a December victory as well.

Democrat Mark Dayton has gained 17 votes over his November 2 total; Republican Tom Emmer has gained 14 votes. Dayton's 8,751 vote pre-recount lead over Emmer has been upheld through three days of hand recounts.FULL POST